Fergus Finlay: Ingenuity required to deliver political myths and mantras

A political myth, although generally false, requires a grain of truth but a mantra needs so much repetition to be assumed a fact, writes Fergus Finlay

Newly appointed agriculture minister Dara Calleary leaving the Convention Centre Dublin following a Dáil session. Picture: Brian Lawless

Isn’t it funny how political myths and mantras can do so much damage. Even the relatively harmless ones can generate bad relationships and political instability. Sometimes, of course, that’s exactly what they’re designed to do.

The creation of a political myth requires ingenuity. The myth, although false, has to have a grain of truth. It has to be rooted in something that is eminently believable.